Our group did a 4hr rental on a sunny Saturday. Mad props to Jimmy who was running the operation. Very helpful, got us set up nicely and gave us tips on where to go, even gave us tips mid-trip via text helping us decide how to maximize our time. The 4hr trip was perfect for checking out the lighthouse, then a sand bar, and casually roll back. Thanks Jimmy. read more

Quality Boat Rentals - Lighthouse - Boating Near Me - Marathon, Florida

Although some of the reviews offer some negative reviews I made the attempt to try this location out. First of all the spot is behind te hotel on the left. May be a bit misleading and they will guide you there. I thought their prices were quite fair and even upon return they verified I had filled the boat and did not charge additional. Upon arrival at the dock on the morning of the rental I was received in the dock by Nathan. He was awesome and very helpful throughout the process. Had us out within minutes but still covering all the boats safety items needed. The boat was a bit dated but handles well. We had the larger deck boat and she handled well inn relatively windy conditions as we were trying to head to nearby sandbars. The return was just as smooth and no issues or surprises like some other operators Overall will definitely rent form them inherited future. They have a considerate staff that really helps the renter in their voyage! Thank you read more

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Truly, great group of fellows that run this place . The first day we had issues with the boat later that afternoon and after checking it out they decided it would be better for us to take another boat out . They worked with us on prices and was very great at helping us with any questions . Thank you for the wonderful memories we created !! read more

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Jimmy was fantastic. Boats were all right and very clean. Service was great. Would rent from them again and plan to do so!

Our rental was very easy through this place. We were late to the game considering it was the first week of spring break when we made a rental reservation a week and a half before our trip. Booking was easy and they were responsive by email and phone. We rented a 25' deck boat for three days. When we showed up, we were directed to a center console. This was an easy fix and when I showed them the confirmation email they called the office and got us on the right boat quickly. The boat was not in the best shape. It was seaworthy enough to do what we were doing. However, I would not have felt too comfortable more then a few miles from land. Plus, it's a deck boat so you really shouldn't be offshore anyway. The boat worked for what we needed and for the price we paid, I can't really complain. The guys at the dock were friendly and the process was easy. The only reason for three stars is the shape of the boat. I would just suggest looking over the boat more in depth then they do with you. If you are renting a boat, you should always do so anyway as once you leave the dock it's your responsibility. They did not look into the boat much before we left or when we got back. The boat we were on had a few cracks in the bilge where it looked as though the fiberglass was cracked and pulling apart. This was not through to the bottom side of the hull and was superficial yet still made me a little nervous. Everything worked out and overall we had a great time on the boat. read more

We rented a boat that we rented looked nothing like the picture! The worst thing the gas gauge didn't even work!!!

Reserved a 25 ft deck boat 3 months ago I show up to pick up boat and only a 23 ft boat was found in as other reviewers say deplorable conditions. Boat steering was stiff and hard to turn, not one gauge worked, rub rails hanging off the boat, could see the Fiberglass strings on back corner from a previous accident....josh the person going over the boat lied and tried to say that it was a 25ft boat and then said the 23 ft boat was the one he had me in the system for even though I showed him my confirmation email with the fake 25 ft boat they sell you on...I tried to find a 25 ft boat with another company but all rented and was on vacation so tried to make due with the 23 as I rented a boat for a week and was told boat was full of fuel but who could tell you otherwise with no working gas gauge...we picked boat in evening of first day and docked at a slip 10 miles from location, day one gone...day 2 winds were bad and seas were choppy went 3 mile offshore and came back in to sand bar...day 2 down...day 3 tried our attempt to go out again...seas choppy went out 5 miles and back by noon...attempted to fuel boat was spitting fuel out at 6 gallons...hadn't driven much but called josh to verify boat fuel usage...day 3 done...day 4 we didn't use boat as we were on vacation and decided to do something on land...day 5 went 5 miles off in the gulf and hung out on the sandbar...day 5 done...day 6 best weather by far we went offshore sombrero reef to fish no more than 12 miles from our dock being we were on the gulf side and had to go to Atlantic side....I was 2 miles offshore on way back in and engine started to cut in and out....the engine finally shut off in vaca cut currents....I was on board with friend and a total of 5 kids floating adrift....a boat was quickly sent to get me out of Channel captained by jimmy....where he proceeded to tell me he thought I was out of fuel and that he didn't have this issue until josh started fueling the boats...he took us to fuel dock and help start putting fuel In boat and at about 6 gallons fuel started spitting out the intake as well...he was able to get more fuel In...at this point with no gauges, no vhf, no compass, bilge pump not working and running out of fuel that we were scared to take the boat out again....we had boat returned...owner talked with wife and promised full refund as soon as boat hit dock as we were not given boat that was promised and now issue of boat was not full on delivery as with 65 gallon tank and a 3 mpg fuel consumption I was quoted by josh, there was no way I drove 195 miles.... Jimmy picked boat up....next day owner calls and states no refund and said my fault I ran out of gas...I told her that I wasn't new to water and knew my mileage and consumption...she proceeded to tell me I should have put more fuel in boat....I said if I had to, I would get a lawyer...she told me to go ahead...if you want a company that could care less about quality, maintenance or your well-being you have found the right company....I will choose otherwise....I'm saving my photos and video for pending litigation...will add when I'm done with this company read more

We did not have any issues like the other reviews. The boat was a bit older but in good condition. The pickup and drop off was very efficient and on time. Great people. Very helpful. read more

Used this boat for a family vacation and it was perfect! It could fit the whole group comfortably. Great sound system on board ! There is also a nice table in the front to eat and to put drinks . The pick up and drop off was super easy. All in all, great experience. Would definitely recommend A+ ! read more

Jimmy was great. Really good price on a five-day rental of a 23-foot deck boat. He took all the time we needed to go through the boat and rules and sent us on our way. We were 1/2 hour late returning the boat and he was cool about it. Really appreciate Jimmy! read more

We had a great trip to the keys in May, but thanks to Quality Boat Rentals it was much better! We rented a boat from them and it was a great experience. The boat ran good and the staff was friendly. We met John, the owner and he was very outgoing and wanted to make sure our experience with them was nothing but good. Will definitely be doing business with them in the future! read more

We rented a 26 ft. Pro Cat twin Engine boat from Quality Boat rentals on May 13, 2021. We arrived at 8 a.m. as instructed. There was one, slow moving young man doing all the paperwork, going through boat handling procedures with renters AND launching the boats. We watched for an HOUR as he slowly got three other boats off. We were offered no extended return time because of the one hour delay. When we finally received our boat we noticed the gas gauge indicated 3/4 full. We were told the gauge was "off" and it was actually full. "Ok", we said, and we left. We went to Sombrero Reef for diving and then moved about one mile south for some fishing. We brought the boat back ten minutes ahead of schedule (4:00 pm). Since we needed to return our dive tanks, we said we'd get back to them about the refuel fee. They said that was fine, the charge would be on the credit card I gave them. We gave a kid a tip and left. The next day when I called them, we got a refuel fee of $240 for 60 gallons of fuel! I was stunned, and said I'd be right down there to discuss it with them. When I got there the same young man who rented us our boat looked up the information. He said we were charged for our refuel fee PLUS the refuel fee of the previous renter because he wasn't charged for his fuel! Just what I suspected. He gave me a $120 refund, but I'm still not certain we even used $120 worth of fuel. I could've gone back and asked for the GPS plotter tracking to verify our use and guesstimate our actual cost, but they would probably dispute it. I'm not pleased, Quality Boat Rental. read more

The boat we received was in deplorable shape.  The instrument panel was gone! We were given overly quick instructions on a gps that had to be rewired while we waited.  We were supposed to use the gps to calculate our mileage to ESTIMATE the amount of fuel in the boat.  Not that we were able to find that function in the GPS again.  Our first day in the boat when we were entering a shallow channel the steering seized up!  Thank god my husband acted quickly to anchor the boat so we wouldn't drift into the sandbars.  We called Jimmy for help and the first thing he asked was is it was leaking fluid.  So obviously that has happened before.  While my husband still had Jimmy on the phone, he was still trying to turn the wheel when a screw bent at a 90 degree angle fell from somewhere in the steering column.  The wheel could then be turned but we still don't know what that screw was from and Jimmy didn't really care.  We were too afraid to take the boat out again safely and returned it early.  Also, the motor had no power!  There is no way in hell that motor runs as a 200hp should but after the steering issue that was the least of our concerns. read more

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING THIS PLACE IS IN BUSINESS!!! If you don't die from the rental boats you may have wanted to. Best way to ruin your vacation is to rent from "Quality" Boat Rentals. Our boat was not legal, almost sank and was nothing like what we had agreed on. I could go on about what was wrong with the falling apart boat that almost killed us, but if these reviews aren't enough to persuade you to go another route then good luck. read more

Look before you rent Add says windless , 2 gps units fresh and raw water wash down. Has neither that work i was told motors were new they were 2004. Nothing in the add was working on this boat stero 2 broken speakers 1 worked and sounded like shit Gas in bildge for to first 2 days he showed with 5 gallons of purple degreaser Filled boat again and nothing but fuel in the boat fill hose was leaking sending unit was leaking yes he did come and fix it but nothing was done to compensate for the issuesand never would have paid that kinda $$$ for broken broken and more broken dont think your safety or boat maintance is high on there priority list read more

My husband and I have been visiting Marathon for many years, but this year we rented a boat to go out fishing and diving for a couple of days. I want to give a big shoutout to Quality Boat rentals, the staff was amazing & very friendly. We will be renting for them every year now. read more

Owners were very accomodating. Picked up boat from house for us. Boat worked perfectly. 25ft whitewater w 250 4 stroke. Great motor. Gps/sonar equipped. read more

Had a great experience with renting boat from John- Had a small problem on boat while on the water and he met us with his mechanic at the nearest dock and fixed it on the spot. EXCELLENT SERVICE! read more

Just about ruined our trip, First after waiting an hour for delivery I called and was told that they were on the way.Then he called back to tell me the boat I reserved in Feb was not available. He offerred me a smaller boat which I agreed to take By the time they got there half the day was shot and the had forgotten the coolers, rods and rock anchor. The boat was junk most of the gauges did not work and the electronics were garbage.Never could get the gps to work right. To top it off we were just leaving Looe Key reef and an alarm went off the motor started sputtering and quit I got it running turned out to be the 2 stroke oil thing,We got back to shore but I had to go get more oil and the wife said she was not getting back onboard. Never ever again will I use this company read more

BEWARE when renting from Quality Boat Rentals! I rented a boat from John last summer for one week. We capsized on our second day on a replacement boat John gave us after our original rental had to go in for service after our first day. In the morning, my 18 year old son and I went a half a mile west of Looe Key in 30' of water so he could freedive a bit while I fished from the boat. We dropped anchor and each did our own thing. Seas were fairly calm at 1-2 feet. About 90 minutes later, I noticed that waves were occasionally coming in through the back marlin door, which went all the way down to the swim platform of our 29' Pro-Line. There was no latch on the door to keep it closed. I turned on the bilge pump and no water came out so I thought the hull was dry. But things didn't look right so I called for my son to get in the boat as I suspected we were taking on water and that the bilge pump didn't work. He quickly came on board and went up front to pull up the anchor while I started the engines to move forward. Shortly, the engines started sputtering (apparently from the boat sitting too low) so once he got the anchor in, I told him to pull out two life jackets. We put the life jackets on and my son went behind the wheel while I went to the back to try to keep the waves from coming in through the back door. I told my son to head towards Looe Key and to go to channel 16 and call MAYDAY as I could see we were in trouble. After three attempts and no response, I told him to call 911 on his cell. Fortunately, he got through and the 911 operator got us in touch with the Coast Guard. Just as my son had read off our GPS coordinates, the boat capsized with one quick flip. He was lucky to jump out from beneath the hard top. This all happened within five minutes from the time things didn't look right. My son and I were able to swim to the overturned boat and climbed on top to wait for help. After 30 minutes, a couple of dive boats spotted us and came to our rescue. The police and Coast Guard came a couple minutes later. We lost $8,000 worth of SCUBA and fishing equipment, cell phones and cameras. John only cared about his boat and didn't even want to talk to me later that day. His website states that his boats are insured. I'm not sure if that's true because he should have shown more concern for our well being than for his "insured boat". I ended up having to make a claim against my own insurance company and was only able to recover half of our loss. John wasn't cooperative in trying to help me recover our loss through his insurance. Don't let my nightmare happen to you and your family. I'm a 15 year boat owner and John's vessel's are not seaworthy. A 29' boat should not capsize while anchored in calm seas. Quality Boat Rentals should not be in business! read more

5/20/14 Good Morning Megan: I thank you for the refund. To say I'm upset about what has transpired would be an understatement. This refund was given because it should have never been charged. So you are refunding something I did not owe. The boat was clean. And the boat had more gas in it than when I got it. It was returned in top shape. Bob Biagi and Captain Hooks have never had an issue with payment, or any other services over the last 3 years. I questioned the 2 charges because I did not have a receipt. When you explained to me the charges I had no issues. My Yelp review was on the charge of what you just gave me back. And which I never signed for. And the boat I rented that was in unsafe condition, before I pulled it away from Captain Hooks Dock. It also did not come as advertised. As you stated you were not there. But what I have stated is the truth. Here is it one more time. Rented the 26ft. Cobia for a week. When I pulled away from Captain Hooks Dock and drove it to the rental house. It listed left immediately. I called and reported this when I got to rental house. I was told it was probably the wrong prop on the boat When I went out the next day, it was listing left and taking on water. I again reported this, and I was told that was normal. After the water intake increased and the boat listed more. I came to Captain Hooks with the boat. Reported this in person and MADE someone come on the boat. We didn't even have to go out of Vaca Cut for him so see the issue. The boat was brought back and taken out of the water immediately. The transom was cracked on both sides. Before a boat goes out what kind of checklist misses this? All that mattered was that Quality Boat Rentals DID NOT LOSE THE ENGINE. And that Quality Boat Rentals was upset because they just had the transom repaired. There was no concern about the safety of myself. This boat was in poor condition at best. The pictures on the website are not the boat. It states pics need updating. I would leave the pics up. Because the boat is in horrible shape compared to what Quality Boats and Captain Hooks is showing. At the least the boat did not even has a compass on it. If I lose sight of shore and lose the electronics. A working compass would get me home. That is the minimum equipment every boat should have. But Quality Boats must think otherwise. Now I have a week of fishing planned with NO BOAT. A Quality Company should have had someone there immediately. Concerned and apologetic understanding the catastrophic event that could have occurred, due to Quality Boat Rentals lack of inspection or concerns I was calling with. But again all that was being said was thank you for saving that engine from sinking to the bottom of the ocean. How about the boat and myself sinking to the bottom? Now I was given 2 choices. I could get a refund for the days I had left. Or I could pay $400.00 more for a bigger boat. Since this was a fishing trip I needed a boat. So it was agreed upon that I would have to pay $200.00 for the bigger boat. I had no choice in the matter. Quality Boat Rental had me over a barrel. What should have been done, was another boat should have been given to me at NO EXTRA COST. Since I saved Quality Boat Rentals a brand new 250 HP Yamaha Engine. And I saved MY OWN LIFE. John the owner NEVER contacted me during the weeks vacation. He didn't contact me at all until I called him. A week ago he said the refund you just gave me for the gas I didn't owe on. And cleaning the boat that was clean would be returned. So it was taken care of today. And again no word or talk from John. The boat I rented should have never left the dock. The calls I made stating there was an issued should have been addressed immediately. I should not have been the one to MAKE someone get on the boat, to finally pull the boat out of the water immediately. Quality Boat Rentals put my life in danger. I own a Tiara 3100 Open. And I understand things happen. But someone else who did not know boating. Would not have known the danger they were in by going out in that boat. So I saved my own life. And I saved Quality Boat Rentals a brand new 250 HP Yamaha Engine. And for that I was treated and charged in the manner I have been. That does not sit well with me. And all you are concerned about now is my Yelp Review? I can update my Yelp Review with more detail which is above. read more

Second year boat rental for our first week of lobster season. This place is a mess - boats are poorly maintained. We rented a deck boat on Aug 7. The boat would not go in to neutral and kill switch didn't work - only way to turn boat off was to disconnect the battery. Very dangerous with divers in the water. The engine wouldn't lift up. Another issue when your trolling divers. We returned the boat after first day. They couldn't give us a boat that didn't have mechanical issues. I definitely would not recommend this place and will never rent from them again. read more

I have been renting from quality boats for 16 years. I have had an ocasional mechanical issue but the owner has been very responsive even when it was my fault. Looking forward to my January and May trips. I plan to rent from quarterback John both trips. read more

WORST decision I ever made! Bought a 250K boat that constantly breaks down and nothing is ever fixed properly. Boat usually comes back in worse condition than it went in. Generator has never worked . After I bought the boat there was a recall on the generator so they told me I couldn't run the generator or it could start a fire. Then they had my boat in their shop for almost 3 months last summer trying to fix it. Once I got it back it still doesn't work and now they are telling me its out of warranty even though I paid a lot of money for the extended warranty. Kohler rep said they wont come out without a credit card so they can charge me for time and travel plus the repair and Regal is now saying the generator is separate from the boat. What kind of crap is that! Regal boats are a piece of crap and the Kohler generators are horrible and unreliable! What makes it worse is Quality boats takes no pride in servicing your boat and treats them like they are a 500 dollar john boat. I can go on and on with lists of what doesn't work on the boat...do yourself a favor and stay away from Quality boats and Regal boats in general. read more